William kb aiss



W.Y KRASS. Bee Hive.

Patented April 30, i867.

N. PETERS, Pl-IQTO-LrnwoGRMwifi1 wAsHxNGTON D c @attr-h 'tatrs getint@Hire WILLIAM KRAISS, 0F FAIR VIEW, PEN N SYLVAN IA, ASSIGNOBTG HIMSELF,JACOB BECKMAN, ANI) MYRON SILYER'IHOBN, OF THE SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN BEE-HIVES,

TO ALL IVI-IOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Bev it known that I, IVILLIAM KRAISS, of Fair View, in the county ofErie, and State ot' Pennsylvania,

have invented certain new and useful improvements in Bee-Hives; and I dohereby declare that the following is a full and complete description ofthe-construction ot' the same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, making a part of this specification, in whieh- 'Figure 1 is arear elevation Figure 2 is a front elevation. v

Figure 3, a transverse section in the direction of the line :r .1: iniig. 4.

Figure 4 is longitudinal section in the direction ofthe line .1" at',iig. 3.

Like letters of reference referto like parts in the several views.

A, fig. 1, is the bee-house or hive, the outside of which may beconstructed of wood, air-dried brick, or any other material of asuitable nature. lThe wails of this hive are double, leaving a space offour or ive inches between the inner and' outer walls, as shown in iig.2. B the space; C C the walls. This space is filled with siered Wood orCoal ashes. D are doors at the back of the hive. E, iig. 3, are' groovescut along the upper side of the inner wall, and in which are hung theframes F, fig. 4 these frames are movable, and more-or less in number,according to the strength of the colony. When the desired number areplaced in the hive, a glass, F', is then hung between them, and thedoors, for the purpose of observing the labor and condition of the beesWithout disturbing them. G is .a swarming-box, one end of which isopened, the other being {it-ted With a door, H, and is secured in placeby the buttons. I and slides l. J, iig; S, is a drawer placed under theframes, for thc purpose of catching the droppings and dead bees :1s theyfall, and can thereby be easily removed, and the hive kept clean. K,iig. 2, are the bee-doors, and each is provided with a slide, L, Vby themeans of which the doors may be made larger or smaller, as circumstancesmay require. These slides are perforated with holes for the purpose ofventilation. M are the alighting-boards, and N the bench or base uponwhich the hive stands.

Ot' the many advantages of this hive we instance the following: Thewalls being double, and filled up in the manner above described, thehive is not so easily aiiected by the heat of summer or by the cold ofWinter,-V hence in the spring the queen may by a proper feeding beinduced to lay eggs much earlier than in any other lkind. of hive,without danger to the early brood from the cold; it is also a sureprotection against the bee moth making its way into the hive. Byremoving the frames from behind, the bees are less liable to be crushedand brushed oli, which can hardly be avoided in taking the frames outfrom above. This form of hive admits of making a young colony in a muchshorter time, and some weeks earlier than a young swarm can be expectedin any other hive. By vmeans ot` the swarming-box referred to, a youngswarm can be easily put into the hive,

by slipping it towards the four or six frames purposely left in, for thefavor of the bees, then opening the front:

doors and gently closingthe back ones, until the Whole swarm is in.

It will be seen that this structure forms a combined hive and bee-house,and the chambers P, constitutingv the hive proper, may be multiplied innumber more or less according to the number of swarms or the convenienceof the apiarian. vIn this house we have shown two hives only; others maybe of the same character, or so modified as to meet the wants of thoseusing them. Honey-boxes may be used in this house instead of frames,.ifdesirable, and can be removed and replaced with equal facility as in theordinary box-hive.

What I claim as my improvement, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

The arrangement of'one or more hives, provided with chambers P, frame F,hivingfbox H, drawer J, and external slides K, as described, incombination with an externalnbee-house or casing, in such manner as toleave the spaces A B between the sides, ilooring, and roof of the h-iv'eand the external easing thereof, iilled with ashes or other poorconductor of heat, substantially as andfor the purpose set forth.

I WM. KRAISS4 Witn ess es W. H. BURRIDGE, J; Hommes.

